Yachiru Unohana
| birthday = April 21 | gender = Female | height = 159 cm (5'2½") | weight = 45 kg (99 lbs) | affiliation = , | previous affiliation = | occupation = Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 Captain of the 1st Division President of the Shinigami Women's Association | previous occupation = Captain of the 4th Division Captain of the 11th Division | team = | previous team = | partner = Gengorō Ōnabara | previous partner = | base of operations = 1st Division HQ, Seireitei, Soul Society | shikai = Minazuki | bankai = Minazuki | storyline = Setting the Scene | roleplay = | japanese voice = | english voice = | spanish voice = }} , though she usually only goes by her nickname, "Retsu" (烈, Retsu), is the captain of the , as well as the second official Captain-Commander of the entire Gotei 13. She is also the first Kenpachi, the original captain of the , and the most recent former captain of the . Her lieutenant is Gengorō Ōnabara. Appearance Unohana is a petite woman with soft blue eyes and long black hair, which reaches down well past her waist. She generally wears it in front, braided into a large braid which reaches far down her torso, past her waistline. She wears the standard uniform of a Shinigami captain; a black shihakushō, black hakama, white obi, white captain's haori, and white tabi. When she fights, Unohana undoes the braid in her hair, revealing a wound directly above her heart, which she claims to be the only wound she has ever received. Personality Typically, Unohana is a kind woman with a motherly attitude benefiting of her appearance. She is incredibly polite, always addressing her subordinates, colleagues, and even her enemies with honorifics. Perhaps due to her age and vast experience, she rarely shows signs of surprise and rarely displays any signs of emotional distress, regardless of the situation. A natural leader, even before becoming Captain-Commander, Unohana commanded the respect of those around her, even those outside of her division and the Gotei 13. She has an profound sense of duty, able to lay aside her personal feelings for the betterment of her mission, such as when she ordered to be imprisoned for assisting the Ryōka, or ordering Isane Kotetsu to give chase to after he made off with during her execution. She has also shown extraordinary respect of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, her predecessor, honoring his legacy long after his death during the War of the Worlds.A Union of Souls 2 Despite all of this, Unohana has a dark side to her personality, which she usually keeps completely hidden. At first, this was introduced as mere comic relief, as members of the and even other captains have been shown to be afraid of her. Following Yamamoto's death and her promotion to Captain-Commander, a glimpse of her more sadistic nature was shown. In her "Kenpachi" persona, she is cold and uncaring, harboring a blood-chilling glare. It has been revealed that she can easily kill in cold blood without harboring any regret for her actions. Two hundred years prior, she took part in the Quincy genocide, which she feels no remorse for. This side of her personality was shown to be capable of unnerving and even scaring the likes of , the usually fearless leader of the Eleventh Division. History A thousand years ago, Unohana was known as the most vile and diabolical criminal in the history of the Soul Society. Her power gained such notoriety, at one point, that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sought her out to join his new Shinigami organization. Following this, she became one of the founding members of the Gotei 13. As the first Kenpachi, she was the first captain of the , being the one that laid the foundation for the present day division. During her time as leader of the 11th Division, she fought and scarred her 3rd Seat, Gengorō Ōnabara. Sometime following this, she was apprenticed to fellow captain , learning all of his healing techniques, which eventually lead to her transfer to captain of the . Shortly thereafter, she approached her former 3rd Seat, who was now an instructor at the , and healed the scar she had given him. At some point, while she still held the title of Kenpachi, she fought the future 11th Kenpachi, , earning the only wound she's ever received. Equipment * Daggers: Unohana caries several sharp knives on her person for the purpose of surprising foes in a fight. She first uses them during her battle in Muken with Kenpachi Zaraki. They appear to be a type of dagger. Powers & Abilities Unohana is currently considered to be the strongest Shinigami alive in the Soul Society. Her prowess in battle earned her the title of first "Kenpachi", the title only given to the strongest Shinigami in a generation, as well as being sought out by Yamamoto himself to join the first generation Gotei 13; considered by historians to have been the strongest. After Yamamoto's death, she was of considerable talent enough to be chosen as the second Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. Innate Abilities : As one of the founding captains of the Gotei 13, the first Kenpachi, and the current Captain-Commander of the entire Gotei 13, Unohana possesses a tremendous amount of spiritual power. According to , the level of her spiritual pressure rivals that of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the previous Captain-Commander, himself. Unohana also has extraordinary control over her spiritual energy, able to create a clean, road-like structure within a . Her spiritual pressure was also able to visibly effect the environment, as upon releasing it in her fight with Aizen, it caused the ground to tremor and loose rubble to levitate and then disintegrate, as well as greatly unnerving foes like Tadoku Getsueikirite. During her battle with Kenpachi Zaraki, the sheer level of her spiritual pressure caused Zaraki to hallucinate being stabbed in the neck, causing him to lose consciousness for a few seconds afterwards. Keen Intellect: Unohana is an immensely intelligent individual, able to notice and evaluate issues down to their most minute detail, being one of the reasons why she is such a skilled medical provider. With a mere glance, she can deduce a patient's symptoms and begin to come up with cures to treat their ailments or injuries. She can use this same intellect to pick apart an opponent's strategy and deduce a means by which to counter their techniques. Her powers of deduction were so keen, in fact, that she was the only captain to be able to see through Aizen's Shikai, Kyōka Suigetsu. : Unohana is a deceptively fast individual. Her prowess in the art allows her to keep up with and match an average captain in speed. She was able to move fast enough that Sōsuke Aizen was unable to follow her movements.Rebelling Against God Kidō Grandmaster : Unohana is one of the foremost masters of Kidō in the Soul Society. She is at least familiar with every spell by their name and number, and can preform most of these herself. Her mastery of Kidō is such that she can effortlessly cast #88 Hadō spells, retaining the spell's potency whilst casting it without an incantation, as well as produce a unique Bakudō spell capable of repelling both and with minimal effort, despite the fact that both were using . Though it is not her primary means of combat, Unohana's mastery of Kidō is such that she can fight with Kidō alone and still win her battles. She is also talented enough to come up with unique ways to preform her Kidō, such as using Bakudō spells, like , for offensive purposes. * Kidō Inventor: As an inventive woman, Unohana has the ability to create new Kidō spells herself. Noticeably, she has only created healing and Bakudō spells, all of which have shown considerable power and usefulness. Grandmaster Healer: Unohana is renowned as Soul Society's greatest healer, having been taught all of the healing techniques of , a master healer in his own right. She is knowledgeable in all known forms of healing, including herbal and Kidō. Her intimate knowledge of body anatomy is what allows her to see through Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu. It also allows her to deduce a patient's symptoms immediately, with nothing more than a mere glance. Her knowledge of anatomy extends to several species, as she is able to completely heal Shinigami, Humans, and Arrancar, varying her technique depending on the needs of the species. Her sheer mastery of healing techniques is such that she can use them in mid-battle to heal any of her allies in order to make them more capable of continuing the fight. Zanjutsu Grandmaster : Unohana is possibly the greatest sword master in the history of the Soul Society. She is credited with the creation of itself. She is said to possess knowledge of all sword styles, even newer ones, such as Kendō, and this is the reason why she named herself in the past. So skilled is she in the art of fighting with her Zanpakutō, that she effortlessly defeated , one of the most powerful captains of the Gotei 13 at the time, as he himself was a Kenpachi, early on in their battle within Muken. She again proved herself during the War of the Worlds, when her skills prove too much for even Sōsuke Aizen during their battle. : During her battle with Kenpachi Zaraki, she was shown to be skilled enough to wield multiple knives in her free hand, whilst attacking Zaraki with her sword, using the sword as a distraction to allow her to get close enough to use the knives on Zaraki himself. She claims that fighting with her sword in one hand and her knives in the other helps her to enjoy fighting to the fullest extent. During her battle with Zaraki, she would distract him with her sword, while trying to kill him by stabbing him in the neck with her free, knife hand. Kendō Master: She is particularly notable for her prowess in the art of Kendō, which she was taught by its inventor, Raian Getsueikirite. She particularly uses this knowledge in her battle against Kenpachi Zaraki, using a variety of Kendō techniques to inflict massive damage on the 11th Division's captain. She is also well versed in the art of , which has brought her closer to Minazuki despite her vicious manner of combat. Her mastery of Kendō makes her a monster in combat, able to put down even the strongest foe with but a few swipes of her Zanpakutō in a Kendō technique. * : Unohana uses this move in her battle with Kenpachi Zaraki in Muken. While it is unsuccessful in cutting his Zanpakutō in two, the primary means for the attack, it manages to throw Zaraki several feet backwards, despite the fact that he used his sword to block the main force behind the blow. Her use of the move is with blinding speed, offering almost no time to defend. * : She briefly uses this move early in her fight with Kenpachi Zaraki, using it to almost decapitate him, while still managing to deal heavy damage to his neck and shoulder. Zanpakutō : Unohana's Zanpakutō takes the form of a long , with a very pronounced curve to the blade. It has an oval-shaped tsuba, and a red-wrapped hilt. Unohana generally carries her Zanpakutō on a large sash, making her distinct among the other captains, though she has been known to have her lieutenant carry the sword for her. * Shikai: Minazuki is released to Shikai by an unknown phrase. When in the Shikai form, it takes the form of a large manta ray-like creature, with bird-like legs. This large creature has the capability of flying, making it extremely useful for transport. It can also transport multiple people due to its size. It is large enough to transport at least a dozen other people on its back, based on its size when compared to Unohana. When it is re-sealed, it turns into a green gas which then returns to the scabbard, reforming into the blade shortly afterwards. :Shikai Special Ability: Minazuki is an extraordinary healing-type Zanpakutō. It can store at least seven people within its body, during which time, the fluids within Minazuki act as a healing agent, as it contains strong healing medicines and ointments, which wash over and heal the wounded. When Unohana gives the command, Minazuki will regurgitate whatever is in its stomach, setting the wounded free. * Bankai: : Upon activating Bankai, Unohana will grip her Zanpakutō and pull a blood-like substance from the blade. This blood-like effect then grips the environment. According to Unohana, the blood that composes her Zanpakutō's Bankai, is the blood of every single soul that has fallen by her blade. Her Bankai is also one of the only ones that will regenerate if broken, using the iron within the blood, along with her own spiritual energy, to reforge the blade back to its original stage. According to Unohana, next to her predecessor, Yamamoto, her Bankai is the strongest Bankai in Soul Society history. :Bankai Special Ability: According to Unohana, her Zanpakutō's Bankai embodies the very concept of death. Upon its release, the Bankai unleashes a large volume of blood, which completely covers the battlefield — particularly her own sword. Unohana claims that, at this point, she becomes the personification of death and can inflict it in an almost limitless fashion; the polar opposite of her Shikai's abilities. In addition, she has dominion over the blood created by her Bankai, and can manipulate it to preform various abilities. :* : This ability allows Unohana to tamper with the part of the brain that controls sight and the senses, allowing her to force horrific hallucinations on her target. When she used this ability against , she made Zaraki see their bodies slowly decaying into skeletons as they fought. The psychological effects of this ability vary from target to target, however, the hallucinations are so real, due to the manipulation of the brain, that discerning between reality and what isn't there is nigh impossible. The fear alone generated by the technique is enough to make even the most solid opponents cave in and lose their focus, allowing them to be struck by fatal blows and techniques. According to Unohana, this technique is completely outside other illusionary techniques, as the target's body itself is the cause of the hallucinations, rather than the reiatsu of a Zanpakutō. :* : Unknown. :* : This technique can be invoked after breaking a target's Zanpakutō. The result is both permanent and crippling, as it literally causes the inner world of a Shinigami to collapse, causing their Zanpakutō to shatter and crumble into dust — never to return. She regards it as her most harsh of abilities, due to the severity in which it inflicts upon her chosen target, depriving them of both their most powerful weapon, as well as a fragment of their very being. Trivia * In the author's alternate history, she becomes Head-Captain following Yamamoto's death (which is considerably later than in the canon timeline, and under different circumstances) rather than . * Unohana's theme song, as picked by the author, is " " by Disturbed. Quotes * (To ) "I will praise the fact that you removed your eye-patch from the beginning. However, by removing it you hit bottom. You are weak." * (To Kenpachi Zaraki) "I did not change at all. Simply, the last time I fought against you, I didn't even have time to use those tricks." * (To Kenpachi Zaraki) "True. As you are now, you're like a newborn sucking on his mother's breast. Which is why you are suited to this place. Pretty poetic if you ask me." * (To Kenpachi Zaraki) "The ones who use their sword with one hand, and do nothing with the remaining arm, look to me like they're not enjoying fighting." * (To Sōsuke Aizen) "How unfortunate. That you do not retreat, that is. I'm afraid that as long as those arrogant eyes of yours look upon me, my sword will cry out to taste your blood." * (To ) "Do you think you're the only one who has lost someone in this war?! Many brave soldiers have died in this war. Even innocent Humans, who have nothing to do with the affairs of our realm have died because of the evil of these men! The brother of Getsueikirite Raian, the men, women, and children of Rider City, even our own Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto have lost their precious lives in this conflict. You must see it now. Hitsugaya's wounds are beyond even my healing. There is nothing that can save him! If you want to get angry, direct it at the enemy and avenge your fallen comrade! Stand up! Be a man!"Shinka References